Date: May 19, 2018
Location: Manildra, New South Wales (Australia)
Address: 1 Kiewa St, 2865
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Flour
Industry: Flour Milling (Agriculture)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Manildra Flour Mill
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: One Injury
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
The Manildra Flour Mill is owned by the Manildra Group. According to the company website processes over one million metric tons of what per year and it is reported by Wikipedia as the largest flour mill in the southern hemisphere and the largest producer of wheat in Australia.
Description of Potential Flour Dust Explosion:
On May 19, 2018 the Central West Daily reported of an explosion at the Manildra flour mill in New South Wales, Australia. One employee suffered minor injuries when they were struck by debris and 40 people onsite were evacuated.
In a later article the News Agency further reported that the explosion happened in a storage area of the facility and that workers started returning to the production area on May 21. A statement by a truck driver who witnessed the explosion said that the explosion “blew the top out of the building and the sides” in the production area. WINNews did an interview with the truck driver and stated that Safe Work Australia is investigating the incident.
Is this a repeat Incident?
Although no news articles could be found online, a video by Prime News reports on a previous explosion at the Manildra Flour Mill in March 2018. The cause in this incident was stated as a electrical issue in a switch board. A second News Video indicated that the explosion left a hole in the wall of the mill and indicated that dust combustible played a role in the incident.
Sources:
Central West Daily (Article 1)
Central West Daily (Article 2)
WINNews
Prime News (Video)
Second News Video
Keywords: Flour Mill, Wheat Mill, Dust Explosion
